By Stephen Owsinski The police profession combats the dregs of society to ensure law-abiding citizens revel in their unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In so doing, police officers see many things that aggregately amount to conflicted psyches, born of bittersweet episodes continually tolling cops’ consciences. As any law enforcement officer Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski On December 14, 2021, Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Moldovan was shot eight times. His prognosis was bleak. Healthcare professionals stated Officer Moldovan had little chance to survive. Other eerie prognoses followed. One assertion was that, if he somehow did pull through, he’d never walk again. Per a Phoenix Police bulletin written hours Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The survival mantra in police training is spoken in several clichés: Your main goal is to go home alive after the shift. You want to take off your own shoes at the end of the day. Be polite to everyone you meet but have a plan to kill them. Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Naturally, the worst-case scenario for any police agency is when one or more of their own are killed in the line of duty. An obscure situation arises when colleagues of the fallen confront aspects such as attending funeral services while also bearing the 24/7 responsibility of ensuring continuous police services in their Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski When any of America’s police officers are shot, it harkens scenarios that echo why we direly need courageous law enforcement officers to tackle malevolence and the Good Samaritans who help during incidents gone awry. One such situation unfolded not long ago, in October 2022, when a teenage girl and her friend were Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Every year, SWAT teams from around the world travel to a central location where police tactical skills and precision are exhibited and evaluated, culminating in a standout winner whose hard-earned points garner honors for superb law enforcement operations, all on full display at the annual SWAT Roundup International. Bringing uber-talented police tacticians Read more »
By Steve Pomper Sgt. Jeff Valdivia and Deputy Natalie Young at Young’s Graduation Ceremony. (Photo) Escondido Police Department Facebook Page A thought that occasionally crosses every cop’s mind is, “I wonder whatever happened to___?” Officers will fill in the blank with all sorts of suspects, witnesses, and victims—but most especially child victims. I remember responding to Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski As Hurricane Ian entered from the Gulf of Mexico, demolished oceanfront cities, dredged across Florida, and exited via the Sunshine State’s east coast, its trajectory targeting South Carolina, law enforcement executives from all over poured in police resources to engage in search-and-rescue operations, especially in jurisdictions flattened by nature’s unstoppable fury. Given Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski In the worst of times, we may see the best applications of unique equipment meant for major incidents such as natural disasters, and that’s where we find ourselves as Florida’s public safety agencies deployed unorthodox apparatus to combat the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Marshaling equipment engineered for land and waterborne search-and-rescue missions Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Contingents of state troopers from the New York State Police and the New Jersey State Police were bid adieu at northeast airports after they deboarded buses and hopped on airplanes headed to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona ravaged the island, leaving it powerless and in despair. As with prior natural disasters, first Read more »